Wire
San Joaquin Valley residents could see EPA act by Sept. 30
The agreement would set a firm date for EPA decisions on California ozone revisions that have been waiting in the federal queue. Those rules govern penalty fees and backup measures for the region’s air plan.
For San Joaquin Valley residents, the issue is whether EPA will finally act on California’s ozone submissions on a fixed schedule. A proposed court agreement would require the agency to make final decisions by Sept. 30, 2026, without changing the air rules themselves.
Comment deadline: July 6, 2026 Submit comments: https://www.regulations.gov Effective date: September 30, 2026
The proposed settlement would not rewrite the air rules on its own. It would require EPA to act on revisions covering the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District’s penalty fee program rules and a separate contingency measure plan for the 2008 and 2015 ozone national ambient air quality standards, or NAAQS.
The air-plan pieces on the clock
The revisions at issue include District Rules 3172 and 3173, which deal with federally mandated ozone nonattainment fees for the 2008 and 2015 8-hour ozone standards. The decree would also cover California’s Ozone Contingency Measure Plan, another part of the valley’s ozone framework.
EPA says the deal would resolve all claims by establishing deadlines for those final actions. Under the proposal, the agency would have to sign final rules by September 30, 2026, and send them to the Federal Register within 15 business days of signature.
Why the date matters
Ozone is the summer smog pollutant that can make breathing harder, especially in places that already battle stagnant air. In the San Joaquin Valley, these revisions are part of the machinery that keeps state and local clean-air obligations from slipping out of reach.
The public still has a chance to weigh in before the decree becomes final. Written comments are due July 6, 2026.
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OGC-2026-2971 Comment deadline: July 6, 2026 Effective date: September 30, 2026 Submit comments: https://www.regulations.gov Contact: Jeff Wehling • Region IX, Office of Regional Counsel • (415) 972-3901 • wehling.jefferson@epa.gov